Hellenistic sculptor: Epigonus (Greek: Ἐπίγονος), born in Pergamon, Türkiye Ludovisi Gaul (The Galatian Suicide), 2nd century AD National Roman Museum – Palazzo Altemps, Rome

This dramatic statue epitomizes the mixing of cultures in the Hellenistic Age. The statue is a Roman copy in marble of a now lost Greek bronze original made at Pergamum in Anatolia by a Greek sculptor. The artist tells the tragic story of a defeated Celt (Gaul). Rather than be captured alive, he has just killed his wife and is at the precise moment of taking his own life. In typically Hellenistic style, the artist combines anatomical accuracy with psychological agony.

𝓛𝓾𝓭𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓲 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓽

The Birth of Vampire Killer

Their pose is from "The Galatian Suicide" an ancient Roman statue which is thought to be siutable for Leon and Sara

The Galata Ludovisi or suicidal Galata, is a sculptural group that shows the moment in which the central character is about to commit suicide after having killed his wife. The sculpture was made (along with 6 other sculptures) by decision of King Attalus I (King of Pergamon 269-197 BC) to commemorate his victory over the Galatians in 233 BC. It is possibly a Roman copy of the s. I BC in marble of a Greek bronze statue that has now disappeared. It is dated between 230-220 BC. and its author could be Epigonus. The work can be seen in the National Roman Museum of the Altemps Palace, Rome

[originally in answer to an anon ask, which was unfortunately lost in the drafting process. I am so sorry Anon! I hope you still find this, somehow]

{in summary, Anon respectfully asked me why I believed that LGBT+ pride was wrong, expressing that they were part of that community as well as a fellow believer and that they viewed LGBT+ pride as a positive reaction to and celebration of how God made them, as well as a support for their ostracized community}

{take this with a grain of salt, I cannot perfectly remember their wording}

~

Hey! Sorry this took me so long to answer. I felt like I had to have the time to give it the thought it deserved.

I really appreciate your willingness to have a peaceful discussion over disagreement. That's counter-cultural right now, but really important.

I do believe that LGBT+ Pride is a political/social agenda, but in the context of this conversation (between two believers in God if I have understood you), I think it is more important that it is a sin.

Not specifically the feeling of pride itself (I don't like to get too semantic about that word personally), but specifically the actions of being bisexual, homosexual, or transgender.

You will note I say actions: temptations are not sins (Hebrews 4:15, Jesus is sinless, yet was tempted).

Attraction to the same sex is not a sin; being insecure in one's identity as a male or female is not a sin. Acting inappropriately on those feelings or desires, however, is a sin. This includes entertaining sinful thoughts. (for example, being attracted to someone you are not married to is not a sin, but dwelling on that attraction and letting it become lust or emotional unfaithfulness to one's spouse is (Matthew 5:27-28). Anger is not inherently a sin, but dwelling on and holding on to anger is (Ephesians 4:26-27) , even if you never physically act on it (Matthew 5:21-24).

I think "pride" in general usage is neither good nor bad. It simply means to be happy or satisfied with something/someone. The Bible condemns pride when it is centered in selfishness, confidence in ourselves alone, but, as you implied in your ask, it is good to be proud of what we are given/made to be by God (2 Corinthians 1:12-14; Philippians 1:25-26; Romans 15:17-19; 2 Corinthians 5:11-12).

I am proud of the person God has made me into since I became a christian. I am proud to be a fellow heir with Christ, sanctified "by the washing of water" to be part of His church.

I am proud of being a woman, as God made me, with all the physical and spiritual and mental gifts and responsibilities which come along with that.

You are right. In being proud of these gifts He has given, acknowledging His work, His craftsmanship, I glorify God. God intends this.

and here we come to the crux of our disagreement: I do not believe that God made anyone "queer".

He absolutely made you and loves you and you are a human with a soul created in His image no matter what you choose, but I do not believe that God intends anyone to be (actively) homosexual or transgender or "queer", any more than He intends anyone to be (actively) alcoholic or vengeful or suicidal and depressed.

We may be (definitely are) born with a tendency toward certain temptations, a natural weakness against certain sins, but that is due to the fallen world. Our bodies, our minds, betray us. The flesh is at war with the Spirit (Romans 7:22-25; Galatians 6:8; look there's a lot of texts about this, here's a search list for "spirit" and "flesh" in the New Testament, which aren't all relevant, but it's a good place to start)

God will not allow any temptation to overtake us that He will not enable us to overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13). This does not mean that we do not stumble or struggle, or even (strangely enough! [to me at least]) that our tendencies to certain temptations do not in some ways define and shape us! (1 Corinthians 7 is...a lot. But, to the best of my current understanding, one of the takeaways we can get from specifically verses 7-9, is that some people have the gift to remain single [and thus celibate], and some do not, and the difference is whether or not that is a significant temptation for them. And neither option is morally more correct! It just depends! Fascinating. Lot more could be said about that. I'm not going to say it.)

Anyway. To make a long point short, I believe that God has made it very clear that every active LGBT+ lifestyle is sinful (I have specific passages for this, but that feels larger than the scope of this already lengthy ask). Regardless of our besetting temptations, God will make it possible for us to live according to His will for us. And once we have accepted Him by obeying the gospel, we are covered in the blood of Christ, which will continually cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:7) (even those we continue to fall prey to, despite ourselves, after we have accepted Him)(Romans 7:14-25).

Finally, I know we are fellow believers. I hope dearly that we are also sisters. I pray that you have and maintain, or else find, full confidence in your salvation and assurance in the blood of Christ which covers all the faithful (1 Peter 3:21-22; 2 Peter 1; Galatians 3:26-27; Acts 2:37-39)

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve [discover, distinguish] the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless [for] until the day of Christ; - Philippians 1:9-10

If you want to have any more discussion and/or on any of the points I've made, or more scriptures that I have not included here for brevity, or if you have a counter-argument from the scriptures, please do ask or even personally message me! We are both pursuing greater knowledge of God's word. Let us learn together.

Peace to you also, sister. May God bless you in your pursuit of truth.

GALATIANS 1

In Paul's time there were now as many non-Jews as there were Gentiles. This sparked a huge debate (please read Acts 15).

Acts 15: 1 ''Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers, "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."

Historically, God's covenant people were of one ethnic group-the Jews. Jewish people were set apart by the practices commanded in the Torah. An example would be, by observing the Sabbath. When the Gentiles became saved, many Messianic Jews were meeting in churches in Galatia and commanding the Gentiles to obey the Torah. They argued that in order for the Gentiles to be accepted into God's family, they needed to be circumcised.

Paul was deeply saddened upon hearing this. He wrote that the Gospel could not be altered and those who were infiltrating the Gospel, would be under God's curse. Paul spoke of how the Gospel that the Jews received had not been perverted!

Do you remember the story of Acts 16? Paul and Silas were in prison praying and singing hymns; suddenly, there was a great earthquake and all the prisoner's chains became loose. What astonished me about this chapter is that the jailer wanted to commit suicide. He knew that he would eventually be killed if there were no prisoners inside the jail cells! It would have been extremely hard to prove to the Council and the Chief Magistrates that the gates of the prison cell flew open because of a 'violent earthquake'. What also astonishes me is that after Paul shouted in v.28 "Don't harm yourself, we are all here!" the jailer knew that a Miraculous Power had done this. He fell trembling at their feet and said "What must i do to be saved?"

Acts 16:31

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved- you and all your household."

This is the same Gospel that was preached to the Gentiles, firstly to the Jews. Therefore gospels of Inclusion, Prosperity, Works and other beliefs that do not align with the above, are sent from Satan.

Feel free to ask questions!

“The Ludovisi Gaul” or "The Galatian Suicide" is an ancient Roman statue depicting a Gallic man plunging a sword into his breast as he holds up the dying body of his wife. This sculpture is a marble copy of a now lost Greek bronze original. (detail)

Galata morente

If you are a fan of the secret history you'll love this scolpture.

The dying Galata we know today is a Roman marble copy of a Greek work. The original, probably bronze, was part, with suicidal Galata, of the grandiose donary that, in 223 a. C., the sovereign Attalus I commissioned to celebrate his victory over the Galatians (the name that the Greeks attributed to the Celts), invaders of Asia Minor, to be placed on the Acropolis of Pergamon and precisely in the sanctuary of Athena Nikephòros. The realization of the work is probably to be attributed to the Greek sculptor Epigonos, during the excavations inside the sanctuary fragments of inscriptions were found including one with the signature of the sculptor.

The dying Galata was and is one of the best-known sculptural works of antiquity and, for this reason, was often taken up and cited by many artists of later periods. This version was discovered at the beginning of the seventeenth century, during the excavations of Villa Ludovisi. The first evidence of the discovery dates back to 1623, when the work was registered as part of the collection of the family.

The artist's mastery and the pathos of sculpture aroused great admiration among art lovers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many nobles commissioned a copy for their private collections. Many believed it was a dying gladiator, an interpretation that caused many incorrect names (including the dying Gladiator, the wounded Caradiator, the dying Mirmidone).

Elements that characterize the Celtic origin are mainly the torques, the typical necklace in vogue among the warriors, the mustache, the shaggy hair kept together with a mix of plaster and water, and the nudity, characteristic that strongly identify the fighting methods of this people.

The warrior awaits the imminent death caused by a wound on the lower part of the chest, caused by a slit. From the wound blood is coming out.

The Galata is half-lying on an oval-shaped plinth on which appear some decidedly and culturally connotative armaments of Gallic origin: a sword, a sheath with a lower relief, a ribbon belt with a square buckle, a broken horn and part of another horn. The left leg is slightly elongated, while the right one is flexed. Only the support of the right arm ensures the balance of the sculpture. The left arm is, in fact, bent and the hand rests on the right thigh. The torso is flexed and rotated to the right, photographed in the preparatory instant that precedes a last desperate attack, an element that accentuates its realistic suggestion, also underlined by the rounded back.

The statue has been considered in the past centuries one of the masterpieces of the so-called ''baroque,', Hellenistic. The right arm, sometimes considered to be of sixteenth-century restoration, is instead ancient, of the same Asian marble of the whole statue.

We think we have so many copies because Iulius Ceasar wanted copies of the same statues of the donary after his victory on the Galli after 50ac ca.

Artist Research:

Ludovisi Gaul is a sculpture by Epigonus of Pergamum

Ludovisi Gaul (sometimes called "The Galatian Suicide") is an ancient Roman statue of a Gallic man plunging a sword into his chest as he holds the dying body of his wife whom he murdered. This sculpture is a marble copy of a now-lost Greek bronze original. Gaul Ludovisi is at Palazzo Altemps in Rome. This statue is unique for its time because it was common to represent the winner but the Gaul Ludovisi rather represents the loser. I found this sculpture profound and relevant to my temporary project as it depicts how a helpless woman's life is thrown off of its trajectory because of a man's choice or opinion. This man chooses to take his wife's life based on her own whims and perception of honour.

This is how we shall get justice, people of Christ almighty! We are all one in the body of christ and we shall commit sins but it is our duty to get justice without entering suit! Lets get them folks,l! this is how we shall do it, we have more tactics than this. I call on yous to be alltuisticly punish them for the greater good. Big shout out to all those who go to jail for crimes that are not even a fraction as bad a crime as child murderering! The sinners who thought they could get away with it, they thought no concequences of their sin, they thought they could be like us, they thought themselves, strong,cruel and smart, thought they could track us down like we do them, they thought they could defeat the wrong like the almighty collective that we are. They thought after sinning against their adverseries they could get healed like we do. But no, their sins against others will eventually hurt themsleves, they do not have a retreat like we do. No nurses or women to cure there souls and make them feel well again.Our sins will never hurt us, we shall hurt and hate them and retreat to safety, to a house of love, where there are nurses and comforters, who treat us with respect and have sympathy for us. They love us untill we have healed, then we are given moral support before we go back for battle with the wrong, for we know galatians 3:16! We can do it infinetley, they cannot, they shall grow tired, weakened and weary. For we have reason to sin against them, the reason is simple, they done wrong. We must do bad to them not because we want to, but because they did wrong, it is our duty, because it is our obligation to the lord. The Lord of this world. By the god of this We shall do them wrong as repayment

We read it first and we shall eventually win, because we can, as a collective, do not feel sorrowfull for your lower position, we shall lower your enemies and then you will feel better for life, we shall strike him so that he is sore and cut him of from our people in this holy land

Justice is meaningful because when somebody who has done something wrong is doing better than me, who is in a higher heaven than i! the wrongdoer doing better than those of us who done nothing wrong,we are in pain from our knowledge of this, suffering pain like a woman giving birth!

Do not be envious, time to be strong on the wrongdoer who sins,he may be in a better heaven than the rightfull, but they must be brought down low, brought to trial on account of the word, so be smart,be cruel and unravel tribulations on them by the book and by the hook if by the book doesnt work. If they get a girlfriend or boyfriend, we will win the boyfriend or girlfriemd over with our thinking and knowledge of things, she will favour us over him, then she must be coached by us into serving justice, we shall abuse him through his girlfriend. We shall recruit her to give him due punishment, we shall win her over with love and ego soothing morale support, we shal commit him, we shall inform her of who he really is, what he done wrong and how bad he is,by which he cannot conceal, we shall take the girlfriend under our wing, she shall be treated well by us untill we are succesfull in lowering him from his heavenly father.He shall be named,shamed and punished; emotionaly and phsycholically and verbally abused and punished by her for minor things to anger him into forgetting his wrong that he done in the first place! Lost in every single argumant he attempts, He will only be bed riden, depressed, suicidal, angry, homicidal and easily provoked to anger beyond any return to peace and so driven to drink. We shall convince his girlfriend not to break up with him until the time is right. When the time comes for her to cut him out of her life, first she shall make false stament and falsley accuse him of shamefull acts that he did not commit, he shall not be able to take the sentance away, like a crown of thorns that he is not allowed to remove, then we ourselves shall push and shove to provoke him to fight back, then we shall punish him for striking at us, see! he hit at us! is all we need for what we shall next do.

Capture & imprisonment

Like the homophille who got H.I.V, Socially exclude Him! Speak to him not, let words leave your lips in his presence but listen not. Keep strong against the wrong doer. Do not be decieved, his is wrong though we shall not get a higher position but the same do not be mad or harrowed by this, for we shall feel better and more upright as one body in christ our lord, for what is winning a higher position if we still feel all the more woefull?

He is not of us, he is not of the body, he is the cruch, a footstool, we shall be blessed that he is therefore now behind us in the cue to the breadline of prison, us prisoners who did nothing wrong but where simply too weak to compete.Blessed are the weak, the weak the cruel. We have Molded the wrong into steel, a lifless stone and a heart in a jar of brime,he is a mere object, an animal to snare and beat with our physical strenght because he is weak, something to object. Something to throw, something to hit. To releave us from worthlessness, our helpless life, hopless and living in meanigless darkness

Now able and armed with a staff we shall have a chance to walk again more capably.

The race to winning we shall never get there but safe in our journey that he is the shit which we treat him like, the dog that eats our crumbs and therefore by him losing the higher heaven, we win a heaven in the knowledge that he is down and out in our crypt. We shall dry him out and use him for fire to cast glares of shimers and efulgent dramaatical sprays on its walls for us to marvel at the beuty of flame

Then we shall give him forgivness for a year, so that he may be healed, likee setting down the staff for a rest, but we must keep him cut off from the outside world, after the year has passed, then we shall serve him justice again, through torture, like throwing a dog back out into the rain after he has dried from a long wet day in it. Lets hope he loses his temper at someone soon, this will happen without a doubt, he will hit and we shall fight back with cerbral punishment. then we shall raise the bar to more sever punishment unbeknownst to him

The unkown should bring him to phase two of the comunity.

The ultimate phase, Addiction to drugs and no one to sympathise with him. Ciggarrettes alchohol and an introduction to crack, dirty coke, heroin and many others of possible supply by endless finance and facadious conscessions. He shall never find coke that is pure.

This was the main objective, for him to become defensive from the abuse recieved by many of his people rendering him phsycholically unstable and unable to win friends and unable to trust any other people and from the dent in his phsyche he shall not see far beyond himself nor percieve what he sees before him, his enemies shall find him no matter which street he walks,a little torture to perturb, getting into his nerves and after that,a little hit from behind or the side we will cause him to make rash decsions in an act of desperation with nothing but the food we fed him, He shall be like us unto him, nothing but judgment.

If he does not turn to the book, we shall do worse though or worst is worser and yet to come. through our christ abuse we will diminish their oratary capabilities with a poison and they will be like a zombie or a rabbid dog with rabbies, like an abhorable and detestable animal,unable to even read a book. Once the addiction is made an irrevocable habbit, he shall then kill himself with his own self destructive tendencies thereby weakened and us in christ are not fpund to be guilty for we are concious of sin. He still thinks us his friend, and we will sabotage him. He will be weaker than us then. We will feel younger,more youthfull seeing that he is weakened and lacking the strength he used to have, revived and revitalised at the sight of him weakened, he is less physically strong than his wife, alas, rejoice dear wife of the bal worshiper, we will onslaught and exhaust him with our new found strength at witnessing him pierced at his humiliating defeat. We are now the light, we shine positive at him fully charhed with negativity, We will walk all over him in hands with his girl who we have most to thank. It is her pleasure to see him humiliated for a reason and it is an insult for her to see him in this state. It is his wifes bidding, for he cheateth on her, a righteous woman of judah, who treated him fairly in accordance with the communitys intent.

We have even more tactics than that.

We shall treat them worse than bitting dogs!

The comunity shall feed him amd torture him until he can't even describe what the torture was.

We shall treat him as if he where a paedophille.

We shall call him a paedophille, we shall bald his head with hair removal cream. His female relationship partner shall torment him with verball abuse.

She shall terrorise him.

Once terrorised we shall have an male attack him in the street. Then he shall make a rash act in desperation.

Hahaha!

GOD SPEAKS INTO YOUR LIFE ( 101823) "Indeed, I also have died on the cross, together with Jesus Christ. And it is no longer I who live, but Jesus Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2:20). There are people who profess to be Christians but do not really understand what that means. They have a "love" for God, but do not understand the concept of making God their highest priority. When you fall in love with Jesus, you put Him first in your life, not second, third or fourth, but number one. Your love for God comes before your parents, your spouse, and even your children. God wants your love for Him to surpass everything and everyone else, including yourself! If you are not willing to deny yourself, you cannot be a Christian. You are either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ. In short... you cannot serve two masters. Make no mistake, the life of a surrendered Christian is difficult. Satan will try every way he can to discourage you to separate you from Jesus. There will be times when you will feel alone, persecuted, ridiculed and labeled a failure, but don't give up. Stay true to your convictions and faithfulness to Christ and great will be your reward. On the other hand, if you like to live your life of sin and want to keep things as they are, you are not a Christian, only a false convert. Without a surrendered heart, you will not only have a miserable existence here on earth, but also on the earth to come, because you will not be there. Surrender your whole heart to Jesus today, making Him "number one" in your life, today and every day! CLAIM YOUR SALVATION: Suicide is not the solution to your problem. Go before "HIM" and give Him your heart. "HE" died on the cross and blotted out all your sins. "HE" will come into your life and take control, from this day forward. In Jesus' name, amen".

Be A Peacemaker

WELCOME-PEACEMAKER

Do you consider yourself a peacemaker? Briefly share how you exemplify it.

WORD

Matthew 5:9 New International Version (NIV) says

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,     for they will be called children of God.

We all want peace. Every nation on earth aims for peace. In fact, the United Nations was established with the goal of world peace. But ever since it was formed, there was never a year without a war. Peace is definitely elusive. We need not look too far. Right at home, families are breaking apart, children are suing parents or each other & divorce is rampant. Suicide & depression are on the rise because people have no peace inside. The truth is peace should begin with every person. If we do not have peace, how can we be at peace with others? The wicked have no peace, because they do not have God. 

Isaiah 57:20 New International Version (NIV) says

20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,     which cannot rest,     whose waves cast up mire and mud.

We cannot have peace apart from the Prince of Peace.

Romans 16:20 New International Version (NIV) says

20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Isaiah 9:6 New International Version (NIV) says

6 For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given,     and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

John 14:7 New International Version (NIV) says

7 If you really know me, you will know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

The truth is, we were all at war with God until we surrender our life to God & be justified by faith. Only then will we have peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 New International Version (NIV) says

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

To have the peace of God, we first need to have peace with Him.But peace will not come to you without surrendering yourself to Him. The Bible uses two words for peace-the Hebrew word 'shalom' & the Greek word 'eirene'. Both words express the idea of peace that comes from God. Not just the absence of war, God's peace is experiencing God's very best being in a state of security & freedom from anxiety.

HAPPY ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

The seventh Beatitude tells us that happy are the peacemakers, not the troublemakers. Troublemakers gossip, they cause division, add fuel to the fire, instigate disagreements & want people to take sides.

Proverbs 26:20-21 New International Version (NIV) says

20 Without wood a fire goes out;     without a gossip a quarrel dies down. 21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,     so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

The Bible speaks against them. In fact. if we cause dissension we are as guilty as the sexually immoral & the likes; troublemaking is a serious sin 

Galatians 5:19-21 New International Version (NIV) says

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

so, we cannot be neutral about it.

Proverbs 20:19 New International Version (NIV) says

19 A gossip betrays a confidence;     so avoid anyone who talks too much.

Romans 16:17 New International Version (NIV) says

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

Being a peacemaker, however, forms part of the marks of a true follower of Jesus Christ. As peacemakers, we should not cause division. Instead, we should love one another, which is an evidence that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. 

John 13:35 New International Version (NIV) says

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

By our unity, the world will know Jesus Christ.

John 17:23 New International Version (NIV) says

23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

But what are the characteristics of peacemakers? A peacemaker takes initiatives

Matthew 5:23-24 New International Version (NIV) says

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

In the days of Jesus Christ, it will take days to go to the temple in Jerusalem if you are from Galilee or Nazareth. But if at the altar, you remember that a family member has something against you, Jesus Christ says you should go back to be reconciled first before giving your offering in the temple. If we are the ones hurt our act of peacemaking is to talk to the person in private,

Matthew 18:15-17 New International Version (NIV) says

Dealing With Sin in the Church

15 “If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

not in public, not in Facebook or with other people who are not part of the problem nor part of the solution. If the other person refuses to listen, we elevate it to another level to resolve the issue. Some people may refuse to be at peace with us but if possible, let us be at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:18-19 New International Version (NIV) says

18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.

Peacemakers are not passive or indifferent, but they take the word of God seriously to fix the problem. A peacemaker speaks the truth in love

Ephesians 4:15 New International Version (NIV) says

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Love must be balanced with truth. It is not easy to tell someone he is wrong, but if we really love him, we will tell him. 

Proverbs 27:5-6 New International Version (NIV) says

5 Better is open rebuke     than hidden love.

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,     but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Speaking the truth is painful because people do not want to be corrected. But we should not run away from the problem & instead seek to speak the truth in love. A peacemaker asks for forgiveness & forgives others

Colossians 3:13 New International Version (NIV) says

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Without forgiveness, it is hard to restore relationships. People who cannot forgive have a problem. They probably do not know Jesus Christ yet because until one has experienced the forgiveness & grace of God, it will be hard to forgive others & to ask for forgiveness. A peacemaker reconciles people to God & one another 

2 Corinthians 5:18-20New International Version (NIV) says

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

God loves us. He has forgiven us through Jesus Christ & reconciled us to Himself. Once we are reconciled with Him, He gives us the ministry of reconciliation. Once we experience reconciliation with God, we also want others to be reconciled with Him & to one another as we become ambassadors of Jesus Christ. They will be called SONS OF GOD; As a peacemakers we are not only ambassadors, we are called sons of God. The Bible uses the word 'son' as an adjective, for example, Barnabas is the son of encouragement,

Acts 4:36 New International Version (NIV) says

36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),

James & John are sons of thunder. 

Mark 3:16-17 New International Version (NIV) says

16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”),

To be called the 'sons of God' comes with the highest honor of representing what God is like-a peacemaking God. As peacemakers, we have the highest title representing God & His family. When people look at us, do they see God in us? To be true followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be peacemakers.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:(PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANYMORE YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE BECAUSE WE ARE NOW AT THE PRESENT) 

1. What is the promise & blessing to peacemakers according to Matthew 5:9?

answer: The promise & blessing to peacemakers according to Matthew 5:9 is they will call children of God

2. How should you respond to people who refuse your initiative to make peace with them? 

answer: I should respond to people who refuse my initiative to make peace with them by praying to God

3. Identify the people you need to make peace with. Which characteristics of a peacemaker will you put into action starting this week? 

answer:The people I need to make peace with is the relative my ex-husband; the characteristic of a peacemaker I will put into action starting this week is speaking in truth in love

45. The Triumphal Entry (Mark 11:1-11)

COMMENTARY:

I'm following your commentary on the Gospel of John Mark. My premise is that Cornelius composed the Gospel of Mark as a follow-up intelligence assessment of the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus. This narrative was prepared for the person on the Palestine desk in the Praetorian Guard, "the Italian Cohort" after Tiberius has died and just before Caligula commits suicide, which is to say, the autograph of the Gospel of Mark arrived in Rome just as Claudius ascends to the throne of the Republic. Claudius introduces Christianity into Britain that ultimately arrives at the Milvian Bridge fully endowed with the fusion of Christian/Druid military community. Everybody in the Legions knew about Jesus before Tiberius received Pilate's initial report of the Resurrection, which is probably captured complete from the oral tradition surrounding Peter and the Apostles separate from Paul's extended revelation and meditation . John Mark was not at the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday. He was in Bethany with Martha and Mary of Bethany involved in the mourning for Lazarus, John Mark is 15 years on and he has had a boyhood crush on Jesus since the Passover just before his Bar Mitzvah just before the Feast of Tabernacles. John Mark is the Rich Young Ruler who is anxious to enlist in Team Jesus, but he isn't old enough and Jesus makes him get permission from his parents. Around Hanukkah. John Mark provides a useful bench mark in the common narrative  and the 1st Century zeitgeist  The narratives of the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John are just about to converge the second time in the combined narratives at chapter 11. The tow narratives are bound by the Holy Spirit by the weeping in John 11: 35 and the weeping in Mark 15:72.  This is a "doubling" described in Genesis 41:32. KJV.  

Jesus raises Lazarus on Palm Sunday immediately after surveying the space of the Gentiles Gate of the Temple, 35 acres. John Mark was not at the cleansing of the Temple: Just Team Jesu. Peter told him that Jesus had a length of heavy rope He employed to stampede the crowd in the market place, like the  stampede in Korea on Hollowee this year. We don't know what the Apostles were doing while Jesus was creating a riot like January 6, but Jesus really didn't need their help: He could use the Spirt of God to push people around and walk on water and whatever.

John Mark is the Beloved Disciple and not John the Apostle or John the Revelator, who probably is John the Apostle. John the Revelator had a similar experience as Mohammed  (and Moses) in receiving his series of visions It is a singularly unpleasant experience, being the presence of The One. God is just too powerful for living flesh to resist. God learned this in the Book of Job and realizes that God cannot dial it back. Which is why God sent Jesus and left us with the Holy Spirit,  

And, of course, The Satan, who is the basis of the human condition. He is the "Total Depravity" of Calvinism and exists, universally, in our personal core of rot. That core of rot is the essence of Ayn Rand's "Virtue of Selfishness".

The Gospel of Matthew is a polemic in response to Galatians and a polemic in support of Peter's Judaizing. The Gospel of Luke is commissioned by Theophilus and includes the amicus brief Luke was preparing for Paul's defense when he was remanded to Rome by Felix. Theophilus has a job like George Smiley in MI6 in the Praetorian Guard He is also the leader of the clandestine Roman Christian fellowship in the Roman legions. In particular, he is the nexus of the God Fearers like Cornelius in the ranks of the centurions spread horizontally throughout the legions. They are creatures of the secular rule of law and the innovation that separated the real military doctrine of King David's kingdom and the true military doctrine of Rome and Clausewitz. Clausewitz begins with Cornelius and the Praetorian Guard in his portrait of warfare as a metaphysical necessary instrument of a republican state. American Christian Just War Doctrine likewise begins with Cornelius and runs, straight through George Washington and the role of Commander-in-Chief. ' The Gospel of Mark is 1st Century Palestine from the perspective of the Army War College. The Gospel of John is John Mark's memoirs of Jesus as the star player on a touring baseball team from the perspective of the bat boy. John Mark provides the horseradish missing from the Roman sensibilities and traditions. Cornelius probably never attended a Seder. He just knew that it involved bread and wine and the review of the core values and behaviors of the servant-leader as an instrument of divine authority and the Liberation Gospel of Resurrection.

But John Mark was not at the Triumphal Entry.

  Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 1 * PART 4 * BOOK 55 I Peter 4:1 – 5:14 - Part 2 All we want to do as we teach is to just open the Book and let people begin to study on their own. And I think the Lord is doing that in a lot of hearts. He’s is showing them how to read and enjoy and study the Book on their own. It’s so thrilling when people write or call and tell us, "For the first time, I’m studying my Bible and enjoying it." Okay, let’s pick right up where we left off in the last lesson, and we are now in I Peter chapter 5. And, again, for review, these little epistles are written to Jewish believers who had been scattered out of the area of Jerusalem and Judea, probably by Saul’s persecution - and they have established little congregations around that part of the eastern Mediterranean. But I think that these little letters that Peter writes are primarily written to Jewish congregations in the western end of Turkey. Now the book of James, on the other hand, was probably written to one larger congregation of Jewish believers, but not necessarily at Jerusalem - maybe Alexandria or maybe one of the areas up in northern Galilee. Now, we don’t want to leave the impression that Peter is associating the salvation of these Jews as being accomplished by their martyrdom. I hope that didn’t come across like that in the last lesson because we’re all aware now that the idea behind the Muslim suicide bombers is that, if they can become a martyr, they’re going to immediately go to Paradise. Well, that is not at all what we teach - that when you go through martyrdom you are guaranteed an eternal life. But for the believer, for the true saved individual that is martyred, yes, he is going to be instantly in the Lord’s presence just like anyone who dies a natural death. So the martyr’s death does not, in itself, guarantee salvation, as that is accomplished when you believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. We call that Paul’s Gospel of salvation found over in I Corinthians 15:1-4. Now then, as we come into chapter 5 this is pretty much along the same line that Paul teaches for establishing his Gentile churches. And no doubt a lot of this was patterned after the synagogues of Israel, and it just falls in line that the Jewish believers are under the same God that we Gentile believers are. Never forget that. We’ve got the same God Who is dealing with both sides – the Jew and the Gentile. And then, of course, when we get to Paul, there is a breakdown of the distinction between Jew and Gentile. The middle wall of partition has been broken down. And now in this Age of Grace, there is no difference between black or white, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile - we are all one in the Body of Christ! Iris and I experience it all the time. We can go into a home that’s as modest as can be, and the spiritual camaraderie is just as good as it is on up the scale. We’ve gone into black families’ homes and we have just thoroughly enjoyed that because we’re all members of the Body of Christ and there are no distinctions. All right, so now then, coming down into chapter 5, dealing with these Jewish congregations, you have the same kind of language, where Peter says in verse 1: I Peter 5:1a "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder,…" (speaking of himself). Now I’ve pointed this out in other times (but we certainly know) that, at Pentecost, and even during Christ’s earthly ministry, Peter was the headman. Peter spoke for the Twelve invariably and, at Pentecost, everybody recognized Peter as the head of the Jewish Jerusalem church. But now come back with me to Galatians chapter 2, where some of you have heard me teach this. Galatians chapter 2, and I want to bring you down to verse 9, because you may have never seen this before. Now the setting is the Jerusalem counsel. After several years of Paul’s ministry, false teachers emanating from the Jerusalem church were coming in behind Paul and telling Paul’s Gentile converts that they had to keep the Law and circumcision in order to be saved.

You can read that over in the first 5 verses of Acts chapter 15. And, Paul and Barnabas meet with Peter, James and John up there in Jerusalem to refute that. But, the point I want to make here is that Peter has now lost that place of ‘top man’ authority. It is now James who is in charge. Galatians 2:9a "And when James, Cephas, (Peter) and John, who seemed to be pillars,…" In other words, they had lost a lot of their authority because Israel is continuing to reject everything and they are sliding on down to the dispersion of 70 AD. But just like Peter shows in his epistles back here, they’re not aware of that yet. They think everything is still ‘A-OK.’ They still think Israel is going to go into, and through, the Tribulation and have their King and their Kingdom in short order. But, here it��s obvious now that James, who was not even the James of the Twelve (he’s been beheaded); but this James is now the moderator of this meeting. Galatians 2:9 "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived (or understood) the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, (Gentiles) and they unto the circumcision. (Jews) All right now the companion passage is Acts 15, and let’s go back there where it’s more obvious that James is the moderator. Acts 15 verse 13. We were here, I think, in one of the previous programs for a different reason, but now it’s to show that Peter is no longer the head honcho of the Jewish equation. James is. Acts 15:13 "And after they had held their peace, James (the moderator) answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:" And then you come down to verse 19 and James continues: Acts 15:19a "Wherefore my sentence is,.…" So James is the one who is making the authoritative statement, not Peter, and that should be sufficient. Now the same way with the order of how these little Jewish epistles (and I think the Holy Spirit did it purposely), where James is first, not Peter. It’s James’ epistle, and then we go to I Peter and II Peter and then John, and Jude. Okay, here we are now in I Peter chapter 5, and we’re going to have the organization laid out much as it was in the Jewish Synagogue, but also in Paul’s instructions to the Gentile churches in I Timothy chapter 3. All right, verse 1 again: I Peter 5:1 "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, (he doesn’t claim to be the head man; he’s just merely one of the elders) and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,(in other words, Peter was there at the crucifixion) and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:" Now what in the world do you suppose he was talking about? Well I think he was talking about the Transfiguration. And you remember what happened at the Transfiguration? Let’s go back and look at it in Matthew 16 verse 28, where Jesus is speaking now to the Twelve. And He says: Matthew 16:28 "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here (not all of them, only three) which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." Quite a statement wasn’t it? Now chapter 17 and verse 1. Matthew 17:1-2 "And after six days (six days later) Jesus taketh Peter, (now there he’s in first place) James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2. And was transfigured before them: (now here was the glory that I think Peter is referring to in his little epistle) and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light." Now that’s glorious in my book. It was almost blinding, okay, so that’s the Glory that I think Peter can make reference to, that he and James and John had witnessed it. And, of course, it was just a little preview of the glory that He will reveal when He comes and sets up His Kingdom - when again He will be that Light of the world. All right, back to I Peter chapter 5, and continuing verse 1. I Peter 5:1b "…who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings

of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:" In other words, when Christ returns, that glory of the Transfiguration will be fulfilled to its completeness. I Peter 5:2 "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;" In other words, what’s Peter saying? You don’t enter into the Lord’s service with the idea of monetary return. That’s not a reason for serving. Naturally every servant has to have enough to feed himself and his family and so forth, but it is not the prerequisite for service. All right, so "Feed the flock of God," be a shepherd, and again I think in the Synagogue there were the upper shepherds and the lower shepherds. I Peter 5:3-4 "Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. 4. And when the chief Shepherd (capitalized) shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Now, come back with me to John’s Gospel. When we speak of sheep and the shepherd and the flock, what people are we generally speaking of? Israel! Israel is always referred to as sheep, Christ is always referred to as the Shepherd, and He uses the parables of the Shepherd. And I cannot find anything that pertains to Gentiles being called God’s sheep. All right, John’s Gospel, chapter 21 (and you all know the account back here in John’s Gospel chapter 21, in His resurrected body and how He appears to the Eleven up there at Galilee). And after the miracle of the net full of fish that did not break, now come down to verse 15 (after they had eaten that delicious bread and fish). You know I referred to it several programs back. That must have been the most delicious meal ever served up to mortal man. That is if you like fish like Iris and I do. My, that’s one thing that we enjoy about our seminars in Florida. We eat fish until it comes out our ears and we love it. But I’ll bet this was super! Don’t you know that the Lord knows how to do everything better than any mortal? But He has fish ready for them to eat and He says: John 21:15a "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?…" Now some people think He’s talking about his fellow disciples. I don’t. I think He’s talking about fish because that was his business, he was a fisherman. He loved fish like I love cattle. Now that’s all there is to it - let’s be honest about it. But now he’s put on the spot. Peter do you love me more than your fishing business up on Galilee? Are you ready to turn your back on all that and be my servant? John 21:15b "…He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my (what?) lambs." Now what are lambs? Well they’re sheep. So who are the sheep in Scripture? Israel. So who was Peter to be feeding? Jews. And who does Peter feed? Jews. And always remember that. He’s obedient to what the Lord told him. Well, let’s just keep going while we’re here for a little bit. John 21:16-17 "He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him Feed my sheep. 17. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time. Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep." What do you suppose those three commands set opposite? Peter’s denials. Three times when Peter said, "I don’t know that man." Three times the Lord says, "Feed my sheep." Okay now, this is exactly what he’s referring to now in his little epistle, then, that it’s his responsibility as well as the rest of the Jewish leadership to "feed God’s sheep," and that’s Israel, the Jewish element. Verse 3 again. I Peter 5:3 "Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock." Now what is always the first thing you think of when you think of the word "flock?" A flock of sheep. Verse 4.

I Peter 5:4a "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear,…" See how all the language fits. Now Israel’s chief Shepherd (their Messiah, their King, their Redeemer, their Savior, but also their chief Shepherd and all those promises, the Old Testament), are finally going to be fulfilled and He will be the Shepherd of the sheep in His pasture. Now reading on. I Peter 5:4-6a "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, (those believing Jews, faithful to martyrdom even) ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 5. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6. Humble yourselves.…" In other words, humility is something that we have to generate ourselves. Humility is not a gift, it’s something that we have to precipitate. I Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, (and if we remain humble) that he may exalt you in due time: 7. Casting all your care upon him; (Now he’s drawing from the Old Testament promises) for he careth for you." In fact let’s go look at it, that would be in Psalms 55. Let’s go back and check that one. The Holy Spirit has caused Peter to draw from this verse and, of course, David knew what it was to rely totally upon his God. Psalms 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved." Casting all your cares upon him. All right, back to I Peter chapter 5 again. Verse 8. If you’re going to cast your cares upon the Lord Jesus, then it behooves us to live accordingly. And we’re to: I Peter 5:8 "Be sober, (we’re to) be vigilant; (in other words, we’ve got to be on top of it constantly) because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" But, as I was thinking this over last night, how does Paul depict Satan? II Corinthians, chapter 11, and let’s drop down to verse 14. Now remember what Peter just said, "Beware of Satan who is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." Paul depicts him: II Corinthians 11:14-15 "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed (not) into (a lion but a what?) an angel of light. 15. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." Now as I was thinking of this, which form, if you had a choice, would you rather be confronted with, the lion, or the angel of light? I’ll take the lion any day because you know you’re in trouble with him. But with that angel of light, you’ve got to be wise as a serpent to see the difference, because it’s so subtle. And you know, we’re finding it out more and more about all the false teaching that’s coming in off the Internet and off television. My goodness, I just read an article the other night by one of the old Bible scholars of a by-gone day and he used the analogy of "steak laced with arsenic." How does it taste? Delicious, but the more you eat of it the quicker you’re going to die. Well, you see, that’s exactly what Satan is doing today. He’s lacing gorgeous steaks with arsenic. And people are falling for it left and right. I think I mentioned in our last taping, I had a fellow call and he was following this kind of stuff. And I said, "Man, you’re being ‘pied-pipered.’" And he didn’t know what I was talking about. But you all know the story of the pied piper. He piped and the rats followed to their doom. Well, that’s what’s happening today - these false teachers are up there, they’re piping the tune, and multitudes are following them. It’s unbelievable. Why? Because up there in verse 13, this is the reason, II Corinthians 11:13 "For such are false apostles, (that’s what some of them claim to be, you know, that they’re apostles) deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." They’re false teachers, and we’re going to be looking at that

more in the next taping when we get to II Peter chapter 3, which is almost word-for-word with the little book of Jude - and it just lays out the descriptive language of these false teachers. A good yardstick for us in the Body of Christ is to line it all up against the Apostle Paul’s teachings of Romans through Philemon and you can’t go wrong. Look at verse 14 one more time, because this is so important. II Corinthians 11:14 "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Because that’s what Satan, and his ministers do all the time - he transforms himself into an angel of light. So that’s what we’re up against. Peter’s followers back here in the little epistle are up against a lion "seeking whom he may devour." Now, of course, we can use both analogies and hopefully I’ve made my point. The lion aspect is relatively easy to recognize. You know you’re in trouble when a lion confronts you, but when an angelic light appears, people fall for it. They just fall for it because, if it’s a light, it must be God. No. It’s a false angel of light. All right, back in I Peter 5. I Peter 5:9 "Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." In other words, we all are confronted with these same things. I Peter 5:10-11 "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11. To him (that is to Christ) be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Now he’s winding down the letter and he says: I Peter 5:12 "By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand." Now, remember, Grace did not start with Paul. Paul becomes the more eminent Apostle of Grace, but God has always dealt in Grace. When He saved Adam and Eve, it was in Grace. When He helped Noah escape the flood, it was Grace. When He brought Israel out of Egypt, it was Grace. So that’s nothing new. The only thing is that, it is so much more epitomized when we get to Paul, that God can pour out His Grace on ungodly, unregenerate Gentiles. And that was hard to comprehend for the Jews. Now closing with verse 13. I Peter 5:13-14 "The church that is at Babylon, (I think the Babylon here is Jerusalem and not Iraq). elected together with you. saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. 14. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity, (love) Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Palazzo Altemps

Although the collection holds around 100 sculptures, the main feature of the Palazzo Altemps would have to be the courtyard that showcases four colossal sculptures along with a sarcophagus and two heralds of gods that are part of the decorations of the fountains. The four sculptures, Maenad, Hercules Sitting, Gladiator at rest, and a Female figure, rule over the outer space of the museum. What’s interesting about these sculptures is the fact that both of the female figures are standing upright with their arms reaching upward while the two male figures are sitting down or hunched over, neither of which seem to be paying attention to the viewer bur rather something else. Still, their authoritative nature almost feels as if it’s forcing you to admire their figures.

As mentioned, the main collection of the museum consists of over 100 statues but there are three other smaller collections under the roof of the museum. There is the Mattei Collection which is mainly ancient Roman sculptures, the Drago Collection which are four reliefs form the del Draga family, and the Egyptian Collection, which contains ancient Egyptian statues and Roman statues that were created in an Egyptian style. Once more, I will divert your attention to two specific sculptures that caught my eye, the Ludovisi Ares and the Galatian’s Suicide with his Wife. Unlike what we know about him, Ares looks incredibly calm and collected seated on that rock/throne. His hands rest on his knee as they grip his sword which makes the viewer think he is about to spur into action at any moment should war comes to him. A small figure of Eros lays at the feet of Ares, looking up at him in admiration or fear, perhaps even both. It’s tragically poetic, the fact that love lays, in a way, at the mercy of the wager of all wars. Perhaps they are more attuned to each other than we think because like love, war is very easy to begin but hard to stop.

Moving on to the second statue, we find a statue of a Galatian warrior who is in the process of committing suicide right after killing his wife. As many of the other sculptures, the statue is full of violent movement that perfectly exudes pain and loss. The dying wife looks heavy as she falls down to the ground while the Galatian warrior turns his head to the opposite direction as he stabs himself. It is a curious decision to depict the man turning the other way because you aren’t sure if he wished to not look upon his wife or if he refuses to acknowledge the metal digging through his flesh. Moreover, you aren't sure where you should be looking first because the twisting of the torsos and legs of both of figures makes it hard to focus on one spot. The dramatic elegance of the couple makes their expressions difficult to ignore.

the ludovisi gaul (galatian suicide)

palazzo altemps (roma, italia)

Ludovisi Gaul a.k.a. Galatian Suicide

Roman marble copy of early 2nd century CE. The original bronze sculpture belonged to a group that was commissioned by Attalus I, the ruler of Pergamon.(3rd century BCE).

The statue was found from the Garden’s of Sallust in the 17th century and belonged  to Ludovisi Collection (hence the name). It’s currently at Palazzo Altemps, which is BTW a really nice museum. Lots of Roman marble statues and not too big. Highly recommended !

One can also mention that the Dying Gaul  (Capitoline Museums) is from the same group that Attalus ordered.

Rome, July 2007